dignified
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- dignifiedly adverb
- dignifiedness noun
- quasi-dignified adjective
- undignified adjective
- undignifiedly adverb
Etymology
Origin of dignified
Explanation
Dignified means self-respecting and worthy. If you want to have a dignified memorial service, skip the karaoke machine and instead softly play the favorite music of the person you're remembering. Something that has dignity is honorable and worthy, so something that is dignified acts in an honorable, worthy way, showing great self-respect and respect for others. If someone handles a terrible public embarrassment gracefully and without breaking down, we might compliment her dignified manner. You might be too dignified to engage in screaming at the wrestling match, or too dignified to beg for a job even in hard times.
Vocabulary lists containing dignified
An "August" Assortment: Words Worthy of Honor
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"The Great Gatsby," Chapter 1 Vocabulary
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"The Diary of Anne Frank," Vocabulary from the drama
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Voices from across the military tout humble, dignified professionalism as essential to morale and project confidence from leadership down through the ranks.
From Slate • Apr. 13, 2026
Wet ground conditions across the crematorium mean ashes could not be scattered, because they "may not settle naturally or in a dignified way".
From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026
Instead, the network aired footage from an entirely different dignified transfer — one that took place on Dec. 17, 2025 — showing Trump bareheaded.
From Salon • Mar. 9, 2026
We stayed for the slideshow: Peanut as a puppy, Peanut at the beach, Peanut gray-muzzled and dignified.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026
Was Fat Cheeks patient because he was the chief and too dignified to react?
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.